High Winchester Prices

M

Mike Webb

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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Southern N.B.
Just got off the Ellwood Epps website and The Gun Dealer in N.B. Is it me or are some of the prices wacked for 94's. Both are advertising 1894 rifles that are grey guns with pitting and cut barrels with poor to fair bores and cracked stocks(their descriptions). The prices start at over $400 and go up to $600 for guns that are no longer collectable and at best are shooters, if they are even that with shabby bores. Last week I was in The Gun Dealer's store and asked a counterman how they can justify the high prices on old beaters. He explained that they had to pay high prices to get them. WHY!! They are a load of parts guns and why would you want them if you run a business. I don't mind paying an appropriately high price for a decent Winchester but it is not the customers fault that a dealer allowed too much for a gun taken in trade. Which explanation I don't buy for a minute. Maybe the theory is that you buy some clunkers for next to nothing and stick them on the shelf at high prices knowing they will never sell. Automatically you can ask several hundred dollars more for a nice example from an uninitiated buyer who is apt to compare the nice Winchester to the clunker with a high sticker price. Any of you guys notice similar pricing at your local gun dealers or maybe I'm just cheap.
 
I know what you mean. I've been looking for one for a while now and have seen most going for the 400 odd range. A lot of them do not even look in that great condtion. I've passed on a few 300 odd range deals that i should hve jumped on but oh well. Not sure why people price em so high but I guess theres something to it or they wouldnt do it right?
 
Sounds like they are doing something similar to what Cabelas has done in the US in the past...buy from sellers for too high...then jack their prices up....and as a result, get stuck with some guns for a very long time, and end up dropping some prices significantly.
I've never heard of the shop in NB...been there long?
Matt
 
Yeah, probably 20 years or so, not sure. Probably the biggest gun dealer in the Maritimes though. Google Thegundealer and you can check out their used rack, not overly blessed with pictures but okay.
 
Vintage winchesters have been commanding top dollar for a while now. While epps is usually at the top end of the scale, they know what they've got. Pre 64 guns will always bring more money and even at the auctions lately I don't think I've seen a winchester lever sell for less than $400 in any condition in recent memory and I've seen a stripped action sell at over $300 for an early '94.
 
I'm just saying that a 1910 DOM 1894 rifle that began life as a 26 inch barrel, full magazine .30/30 and now has a 21 inch barrel, shortened mag and non-original sights plus a poor bore and the butt drilled for a sling swivel isn't worth it. $450!!! Give me a break! Basically these are parts guns, nothing else. Guys used to tear them apart and sell them on Ebay one piece at a time because they were worth far more money that way.
 
I agree with the OP regarding the high prices some of these bubba'd Winchesters. Although I'm not a Winchester collector (I'm a Marlin-guy), I do watch the prices quite a bit and I somewhat regularly see nice original condition pre-64 Winchester 1894/94's go for the $350 - $450 range, which seems reasonable.

Regarding The Gun Dealer prices (and probably several other retailers), I recently learned that many of their used rifles are on consignment with prices set by the consignee. As we see on the EE, some people's expectation of the worth of their rifles is not in line with the market.
 
When winny quit production everything winny went wild. Heres the kicker though.100 yr old winnys and new ones are as apples are to oranges to put it mildly. Why when the prod of the new junk stopped the other stuff jumped double over night is beyond me,but it did
 
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